Consumer Insights 201 Exam 2

means of obtaining primary data

communication

observation

structure

The degree of standardization used with the data collection instrument.

structured observation

Method of observation in which the phenomena to be observed (typically behaviors) can be defined precisely along with the categories used to record the phenomena.

unstructured observation

Method of observation in which the researcher has a great deal of flexibility in terms of what to note and record.

undisguised observation

The subjects are aware that they are being observed.

disguise

how much people know about a study in which they are participating

disguised observation

The subjects are not aware that they are being observed.

debriefing

The process of providing appropriate information to respondents after data have been collected using disguise.

natural settings

Subjects are observed in the environment where the behavior normally takes place.

contrived settings

Subjects are observed in an environment that has been specially designed for recording their behavior.

human observation

Individuals are trained to systematically observe a phenomenon and to record on the observational form the specific events that take place.

mechanical observation

An electrical or mechanical device observes a phenomenon and records the events that take place.

response latency

The amount of time a respondent deliberates before answering a question.

galvanometer

used to measure emotional arousal in response to seeing or hearing an advertisement or other stimulus

fixed alternative questions

Questions in which the responses are limited to stated alternatives.

consumer intercepts

A method of data collection in which interviewers in a heavily trafficked location stop or interrupt a sample of those passing by to ask them if they would be willing to participate in a research study.

measurement

The process of assigning numbers to represent properties of an object’s attributes.

nominal scale

Measurement in which numbers are assigned to objects or classes of objects solely for the purpose of identification.

ordinal scale

Measurement in which numbers are assigned to data on the basis of some order (e.g., more than, greater than) of the objects.

interval scales

Measurement in which the assigned numbers legitimately allow the comparison of the size of the differences among and between members.

ratio scale

Measurement that has a natural, or absolute, zero and therefore allows the comparison of absolute magnitudes of the numbers.

itemized ratings scale

A scale on which individuals must indicate their ratings of an attribute or object by selecting the response category that best describes their position on the attribute or object.

summated ratings scale

A self-report technique for attitude measurement in which respondents indicate their degree of agreement or disagreement with each of several statements.

graphic ratings scale

A scale in which individuals indicate their ratings of an attribute along a continuous line or other graphic figure that runs from one extreme of the attribute to the other.

comparative ratings scale

A scale requiring subjects to make their ratings as a series of relative judgments or comparisons rather than as independent assessments.

constant sum method

A comparative-ratings scale in which an individual divides some given sum among two or more attributes on a basis such as importance or favorability.

global measure

A measure designed to provide an overall assessment of an object or phenomenon, typically using one or two items.

composite measure

A measure designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of an object or phenomenon with items to assess all relevant aspects or dimensions.

systematic error

Error in measurement that is also known as constant error since it affects the measurement in a constant way

random error

Error in measurement due to temporary aspects of the person or measurement situation and affects the measurement in irregular ways.

validity

The extent to which differences in scores on a measuring instrument reflect true differences among individuals, groups, or situations in the characteristic that it seeks to measure or true differences in the same individual, group, or situation from one occasion to another, rather than systematic or random errors.

reliability

Ability of a measure to obtain similar scores for the same object, trait, or construct across time, across different evaluators, or across the items forming the measure.

telescoping error

A type of error resulting from the fact that most people remember an event as having occurred more recently than it did.

recall loss

A type of error caused by a respondent’s forgetting that an event happened at all.

response order bias

An error that occurs when the response to a question is influenced by the order in which the alternatives are presented.

split ballot technique

A technique for combatting response bias in which researchers use multiple versions of a survey, with different wordings of an item or different orders of response options.

unstated alternative

An alternative answer that is not expressed in a question’s options.

assumed consequences

A problem that occurs when a question is not framed so as to clearly state the consequences, and thus it generates different responses from individuals who assume different consequences.

double barreled questions

A question that calls for two responses and creates confusion for the respondent.

dummy table

A table (or figure) used to show how the results of an analysis will be presented.

funnel approach

An approach to question sequencing that gets its name from its shape, starting with broad questions and progressively narrowing down the scope.

question order bias

The tendency for earlier questions on a questionnaire to influence respondents’ answers to later questions.

branching question

A question that routes people to different survey items based on their responses to the question.

target information

The basic information that addresses the subject of the study.

classification information

Information used to classify respondents, typically for demographic breakdowns.

pretest

Use of a questionnaire (or observation form) on a trial basis in a small pilot study to determine how well the questionnaire (or observation form) works.

population

All cases that meet designated specifications for membership in the group.

parameters

A characteristic or measure of a population.

statistics

A characteristic or measure of a sample.

sampling error

The difference between results obtained from a sample and results that would have been obtained had information been gathered from or about every member of the population.

sampling frame

The list of population elements from which a sample will be drawn; the list might consist of geographic areas, institutions, individuals, or other units.

non probability sample

A sample that relies on personal judgment in the element selection process.

convenience samples

A nonprobability sample in which population elements are included in the sample because they were readily available.

judgement samples

A nonprobability sample in which the sample elements are handpicked because they are expected to serve the research purpose.

snowball sample

A judgment sample that relies on the researcher’s ability to locate an initial set of respondents with the desired characteristics.

quota sample

A nonprobability sample chosen so that the proportion of sample elements with certain characteristics is about the same as the proportion of the elements with the characteristics in the target population.

probability sample

A sample in which each target population element has a known, nonzero chance of being included in the sample.

simple random samples

A probability sampling plan in which each unit included in the population has a known and equal chance of being selected for the sample.

systematic sample

A probability sampling plan in which every kth element in the population is selected for the sample pool after a random start.

sampling interval

The number of population elements to count (k) when selecting the sample members in a systematic sample.

total sampling elements

The number of population elements that must be drawn from the population and included in the initial sample pool to end up with the desired sample size.

stratified sample

A probability sample in which (1) the population is divided into mutually exclusive and exhaustive subsets and (2) a probabilistic sample of elements is chosen independently from each subset.

cluster sample

A probability sampling plan in which (1) the parent population is divided into mutually exclusive and exhaustive subsets and (2) a random sample of one or more subsets is selected.

area sample

A form of cluster sampling in which areas (e.g., census tracts, blocks) serve as the primary sampling units. Using maps, the population is divided into mutually exclusive and exhaustive areas, and a random sample of areas is selected.

precision

The degree of error in an estimate of a population parameter.

confidence

The degree to which one can feel confident that an estimate approximates the true value.

filter question

A question used to determine if a respondent is likely to possess the knowledge being sought; also used to determine if an individual qualifies as a member of the defined population.

noncoverage error

Error that arises because of failure to include qualified elements of the defined population in the sampling frame.

nonresponse error

Error from failing to obtain information from some elements of the population that were selected and designated for the sample.

response error

Error that occurs when an individual provides an inaccurate response, consciously or subconsciously, to a survey item.

recording error

Mistakes made by humans or machines in the process of recording respondents’ communication- or observation-based data.

office error

Error due to data editing, coding, or analysis errors.

data merger error

Error resulting from the aggregation of data from or about a population element from multiple sources.

response rate

The number of completed interviews with responding units divided by the number of eligible responding units in the sample.

categorical measures

A commonly used expression for nominal and ordinal measures.

frequency analysis

A count of the number of cases that fall into each of the possible response categories.

outliers

An observation so different in magnitude from the rest of the observations that the analyst chooses to treat it as a special case.

confidence interval

A projection of the range within which a population parameter will lie at a given level of confidence, based on a statistic obtained from a probabilistic sample.

continuous measures

A commonly used expression for interval and ratio measures.

descriptive statistics

Statistics that describe the distribution of responses on a variable. The most commonly used descriptive statistics are the mean and standard deviation.

sample mean

The arithmetic average value of the responses on a variable.

median split

A technique for converting a continuous measure into a categorical measure with two approximately equal-sized groups. The groups are formed by “splitting” the continuous measure at its median value.

cumulative percentage breakdown

A technique for converting a continuous measure into a categorical measure. The categories are formed based on the cumulative percentages obtained in a frequency analysis.

two box technique

A technique for converting an interval-level rating scale into a categorical measure, usually used for presentation purposes. The percentage of respondents choosing one of the top two positions on a rating scale is reported.

null hypothesis

The hypothesis that a proposed result is not true for the population. Researchers typically attempt to reject the null hypothesis in favor of some alternative hypothesis.

alternative hypothesis

The hypothesis that a proposed result is true for the population.

significance level

The acceptable level of error selected by the researcher, usually set at 0.05. The level of error refers to the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually true for the population.

chi square goodness of fit test

A statistical test to determine whether some observed pattern of frequencies corresponds to an expected pattern.

cross tabulation

A multivariate technique used for studying the relationship between two or more categorical variables. The technique considers the joint distribution of sample elements across variables.

pearson chi square test of independence

A commonly used statistic for testing the null hypothesis that categorical variables are independent of one another.

Cramer’s V

A statistic used to measure the strength of the relationship between categorical variables.

independent samples t test for means

A technique commonly used to determine whether two groups differ on some characteristic assessed on a continuous measure.

paired sample t test

A technique for comparing two means when scores for both variables are provided by the same sample.

Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient

A statistic that indicates the degree of linear association between two continuous variables. The correlation coefficient can range from -1 to +1.

regression analysis

A statistical technique used to derive an equation representing the influence of a single (simple regression) or multiple (multiple regression) independent variables on a continuous dependent, or outcome, variable.

coefficient of multiple determination

A measure representing the relative proportion of the total variation in the dependent variable that can be explained or accounted for by the fitted regression equation. When there is only one predictor variable, this value is referred to as the coefficient of determination.

stratum chart

A set of line charts in which quantities are aggregated or a total is disaggregated so that the distance between two lines represents the amount of some variable.

data visualization

The process of using graphic illustrations to understand and communicate important relationships in large data sets.

complete

The degree to which the report provides all the information readers need in a language they understand.